


fix this broken heart of mine

by lost_n_stereo



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Bellarke, F/M, bellarke AU, modern bellarke
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-05
Updated: 2017-03-29
Packaged: 2018-02-28 06:25:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2722070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lost_n_stereo/pseuds/lost_n_stereo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based off the prompt - "The new handyman is hot so I'm going to keep breaking stuff". A little angst, a little fluff.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

She moves into her new apartment on a rainy Tuesday in March.

Her phone is going crazy, texts from friends asking if she’s okay and she couldn’t even tell you how many times her mother has called her in the past few days.

You would think none of them had ever seen someone go through a breakup before.

She rents a U-Haul and asks her friends Raven and Jasper to help her move in, the latter being her best friend since grade school who’s been dating Raven for over a year. They agree instantly and Clarke hates it because she knows that they are looking at her in pity, like the end of a five year relationship is going to send her spiraling down into some lonely abyss.

Most of the time she thinks they are being ridiculous. Sometimes she thinks that they might be right.

She’s been to her new apartment complex only twice before, once to look at the apartment and another to sign the lease. It’s the first time she’s ever lived alone because she lived with Finn for two years after high school and before that she was always at home with her parents. The thought of living alone, even in a city that she’s lived in her entire life, is both thrilling and terrifying.

Jasper and Raven show up at her place (her old place) at nine-thirty in the morning, both of them huddled under a big maroon umbrella.

"You couldn’t wait to move until June?" Jasper asks playfully as he steps over the threshold and shakes out his hair. "It’s pouring out there!"

"Jasper, hush." Raven gives him a stern look and he rolls his eyes and looks around.

"Is he here?"

Clarke shakes her head. “No, but he’ll be off work by noon. I want everything out before he gets home. Everything is already in boxes we just need to get it in the U-Haul.”

It’s heartbreaking, the fact that her entire life is now not only flipped completely upside down but is currently residing inside brown cardboard boxes and sealed up with moving tape. An image of her heart wrapped in bubble wrap pops up in her mind and she wants to laugh and cry all at the same time.

They make quick work of filling the truck despite the steady downpour and by the time the last box is in and Jasper is shutting the large metal door it’s nearing eleven-thirty.

"We should go," Raven says when she looks down at her watch.

Clarke nods. “Yeah, we should. Just let me lock up.”

The house key is still in its place on her key chain, in between her car key and the key to her new apartment. She sighs sadly as she slides the key along the metal rung until it’s free and after she locks the front door she drops it into the mailbox like she told Finn she would.

"Okay," she says when she turns around. Jasper and Raven are watching her carefully and she rolls her eyes as she heads to her car. "I’m fine, you guys. Really." They both raise their eyebrows and she laughs quietly as she pulls open her car door. "Just get in your cars and follow me."

The twenty minute ride to her new apartment is uneventful. She changes the station every time a love song plays and when she pulls into her new parking spot she’s got AC/DC blasting loud from her speakers.

"Nice tunes," Jasper says as he climbs out of the U-Hauls driver’s seat. "Nothing like a little ‘Back In Black’ to get your blood pumping."

Raven laughs as she walks up, her car parked in one of the guest spots nearby. “So where is your apartment?”

Clarke nods towards the building directly in front of them. She was somehow able to luck into one that is not only downstairs but directly next to her parking spot. “Number 118.”

Jasper busies himself with the rear door of the truck as Raven comes to stand next to Clarke.

"Are you sure you’re okay?" She asks and as much as Clarke would love to scream and say that yes, she’s fine damn it and she doesn’t need or want to be asked every five seconds, she also knows that Raven is just trying to be a friend.

"I’m fine," she answers quickly. "I can’t lie or pretend that it doesn’t suck but…I’m really okay."

Raven watches her for a moment before nodding and smiling. “Okay, now let’s see your new place.”

Unloading the truck goes faster than loading it did and all of her boxes are stacked up in her new living room within the hour.

"This is cute," Raven says as she walks from the living room into the dining room. "Nice sized kitchen," she calls out when she steps through the archway. "Wow, this stove is awesome!"

Jasper chuckles as he listens to his girlfriend’s running commentary and Clarke giggles when Raven shouts something about a wicked cool microwave.

"Raven! We have to be at your parent’s house at three, remember?" Jasper says loudly and Raven’s head comes popping out from the kitchen’s entryway.

"Yeah, I know." Her body comes into view as she steps back into the dining room. "Clarke, are you sure you don’t wanna come with us? I know my mom would love to see you."

"No, it’s okay. I need to get stuff set up here. And I should probably call my own mother before her brain explodes."

"Well, call us if you need anything," Raven says as she pulls Clarke into a hug.

"I will," Clarke says. "Give your parents my best."

Raven smiles as she squeezes Clarke one more time. “Of course.”

Jasper grins as he pulls Clarke into his arms. “Don’t stress,” he says into her ear and it’s the first time all day that Clarke feels like she might actually break down. “You’re going to get through this.” Clarke nods against his shoulder and he holds her tight for a moment longer before letting go. “Okay, let’s get this show on the road. We still have to take that U-Haul back.”

Clarke follows them to the door and stands in the doorway as they head out back to the parking lot. “Thanks again, you guys. And have fun at your parent’s!”

Jasper rolls his eyes dramatically and Clarke laughs when Raven smacks him in the arm.

It’s not until she’s completely alone that the gravity of the situation hits and she drops to the floor of her too bare apartment, her back against the dining room wall, and bursts into tears.

She doesn’t know how long she sits there, her knees up to her chest and her head down, but she cries for everything she’s lost. She cries for a future that doesn’t exist anymore. She cries until she can’t cry anymore and then she does the only thing that she can do.

She gets up.

***

"Clarke! Where are your cups?"

Her living room is loud with conversation and her new couch is full of all of her favorite people. Raven and Jasper are seated on one end, talking closely together while they sip from bottles of beer. Her mother is sitting on the other side talking to Jasper’s roommate Monty about his job at a local radio station.

The voice coming from the kitchen belongs to her father and she gets up from the armchair she’s sitting in to help him find the missing cups.

"They are right here, dad." She reaches into the cupboard next to the fridge and hands her father one of the clear glasses. "Maybe if you would have opened more than one cupboard, you could have found them," she teases and he grins as he takes the cup she’s holding out to him.

"Ah, but maybe I just wanted my dear old daughter’s help," he says with an easy smile that Clarke returns. "How you doing, kiddo?"

It’s been barely two weeks since she moved into her new place and she’s actually been a lot better since that first night alone but she has never been able to lie to her father.

"It sucks," she answers honestly and he nods in understanding. "Finn was such a huge part of my life for so long and now he’s just…gone."

"Have you talked to him?"

Clarke shakes her head. “No and I don’t plan to. At least, not for awhile. I have to figure out who I am outside of our relationship. It ended for a reason, and a good one, and I need to just…deal with it.”

Her dad smiles sadly as he pulls her into a hug. “I’m proud of you, Clarke.”

"Why?" She whispers the question into his chest where her head is buried.

He kisses the top of her head and smiles. “Because you’re being extremely brave. You’re starting a life for yourself and that is incredibly commendable.”

She sniffles a little as she pulls away, tears that she’s managed to keep at bay for days welling up in her eyes. “Thanks dad.”

"Of course. What are dads for? Now," he says as he wipes a stray tear from her cheek. "Where are you hiding the hard liquor?"

Clarke laughs tearfully as she points to the cabinet above the refrigerator. “There’s a bottle of Grey Goose in there. Jasper stole it from work.”

"Ahh the benefits of being best friends with a bartender," her father says as he pulls the tall bottle from the cupboard. "I’ll just be taking this." He winks as he walks out of the kitchen and she laughs out loud when she hears him yell "Who wants to get drunk?" to the others in the living room. A round of hoots and hollers can be heard in response and she wonders just how many people will be sleeping on her couch tonight.

"Might as well join in on the fun," she mumbles to herself as she grabs her own glass from its place on the shelf but when she holds it against the refrigerator door’s ice maker nothing happens. "What the hell?"

She presses it again, harder this time, but her glass is still ice free when she pulls it away. That’s when she remembers her move in package, and a little magnet full of numbers to call in case something in her apartment doesn’t work, so she opens the drawer that she stashed the folder in upon moving in and opens it.

The folder is full of garbage, basically, coupons for cable companies and maps of the nearby neighborhood. She starts pulling things out and she finds the large magnet tucked in behind a Chinese food restaurant menu. Her eyes scan the magnet until she finds the number she wants.

Bellamy Blake - Apartment Handyman

She pulls her phone out of her pocket and dials the number quickly, hoping that he picks up despite the fact that it’s almost six pm on a Friday night.

"This is Bellamy," a gruff voice says after the third ring.

"Hi, yeah. My name is Clarke Griffin. I’m in apartment 118."

"Okay…"

She narrows her eyes at the annoyed tone in his voice. “Sorry to call so late on a weekend but my ice maker isn’t working and I am in the middle of a little get together at my place. Well, it’s more like a housewarming party, actually.”

"Ice maker issues at a party, huh? Well, we can’t have that now can we?" She’s still not sure if he’s being rude or joking around but she hopes that it’s the latter. "I’ll be there in ten." He hangs up before she has a chance to say anything else.

Ten minutes later her doorbell is ringing and everyone in the living room looks around as if to ask who else could be showing up.

"Handyman," Clarke explains as she stands up to open it. "Here to fix the ice maker."

The man standing on the other side of the door doesn’t look anything like she expected him to.

She didn’t expect his shaggy black hair, or his chocolate brown eyes. She didn’t expect the white shirt that is stretched across his tan chest or the dark denim jeans hung low on his hips. She sure as hell didn’t expect him to be downright gorgeous.

"Are you Clarke," he asks and she nods dumbly as he grins.

Wow, she really didn’t expect the dimples or the adorable splash of freckles across his cheeks.

"Bellamy Blake," he says as he picks up a bag of tools from where it’s sitting at his feet. "Wanna show me this faulty ice maker?"

"Umm…yeah, of course."

She holds open the door for him and he smiles down at her again as he passes by and heads for the kitchen.

"Well hello there," her mother says when she sees Bellamy and Clarke groans inwardly. "I’m Abby, Clarke’s mom. And you are?"

She holds out her hand to Bellamy who smiles widely as he shakes it.

"Bellamy. I’m just here to fix the ice marker. I shouldn’t be crashing your party for very long."

"You’re not crashing it at all, dear." Clarke tries to make eye contact to beg her mother to just stop talking but she doesn’t. "After you’re finished you should stick around, have a beer."

Bellamy glances over at Clarke, who thinks she’s probably as red as her living room rug, and smiles.

"I actually have another house to service after this but maybe some other time."

Clarke gives her mom an annoyed look as she crosses through the living room and heads towards the kitchen.

"I’ll show you what the ice maker is doing," she says to Bellamy and he nods to her guests as he follows her into the kitchen.

"All moved in?" He asks as he opens the freezer door to inspect the ice maker.

"Pretty much," Clarke says as she hops up onto her counter to watch him work. "I had to buy all new furniture but thankfully I have a dad and best friend that love to build."

Bellamy chuckles as he turns on his flashlight and checks something. “Well here’s your problem,” he says as he flicks the flashlight back off. “Your ice maker is frozen.”

"Is that, like a joke?" Clarke asks with a grin and Bellamy laughs. "Or are you serious?"

"A little of both. It’s clogged with ice. It’ll just take a few minutes to fix this up for you."

She hops back off of the counter soundlessly. “Well, I should let you work then. Are you sure you don’t want anything to drink?”

"Thanks but I’m good," he says easily. "I should have this done in no time."

"Okay," she responds before stepping out of the kitchen. The second she’s back in the living room Raven is motioning for her to come to where she’s standing and Clarke glances once behind her before heading towards her friend.

"Holy shit," Raven says quietly as she peers around Clarke’s shoulder. "That man is too fine."

"I heard that," Jasper says from the couch but Clarke and Raven both know that Jasper is far from jealous.

"Anyways," Raven says with a roll of her eyes. "How lucky are you that that’s your handyman?”

Clarke can only hope and pray that Bellamy is completely out of earshot and can’t hear a single word of this conversation.

"Yeah, he’s okay," she says unconvincingly and Raven lets out a snort.

"Okay? Girl, I would be breaking shit on purpose if it meant he’d be the one coming to fix it."

"Seriously?" Jasper calls from the couch and Clarke and Raven both giggle.

Before Raven can say anything else Bellamy is coming out of the kitchen and motioning for Clarke to meet him at the front door. Raven gives her a wink and Clarke groans and nudges her friend in the side with her elbow.

"So I cleared out the frozen ice," Bellamy says as he opens the front door. "You are good to go." Clarke nods as she stands in the doorway, leaning against the frame as he stands on her porch. "If you need anything else you’ve got my number."

"Thanks again," she says but before he walks away she calls out his name. "Bellamy, wait! Do I owe you anything?"

He laughs as he shakes his head. “Only a rain check on that drink,” he says with a wink.

Clarke knows she’s blushing when she holds up her hand in a wave.

"You got it."

***

She calls him again a week later when her dryer starts making funny noises.

"Bellamy, I need you," she says seriously into her phone and his laugh comes through raspy and deep from the other line. "Oh no, did I wake you up?"

"No…well yeah but it’s okay," he says quietly and now she can hear the sleep in his voice.

"Late night?" She teases but then she’s suddenly struck with the thought that it’s ten-thirty on a Saturday morning and he’s still in bed. And whispering. "I’m bothering you, I’m sorry…"

"No, wait. You’re not bothering me," he says quickly. "I just stayed out late last night with some friends. So what do you need help with?"

"My dryer is making funny noises." She instantly feels stupid because what self-respecting adult needs help with a dryer?

"I could come over and look at it but I can tell you right now what the problem is. Our dryers aren’t the greatest so you’ll want to stick with smaller loads. If it’s still doing it after trying that then I’ll be happy to come take a look."

"Oh, yeah. Okay. Thanks, Bellamy. I’ll give that a try."

"No problem," he says with a yawn. "Give me a call if you need anything else."

"Yeah, I will. Go back to sleep, and thanks again."

He laughs quietly and she can hear the sheets rustling as he, she assumes, gets back into bed.

"Anytime, Clarke."

She’s breathing a little harder when she taps the end button, an image of him with tousled hair and his bedroom eyes still heavy with sleep dancing around in her head.

"Get it together Clarke," she says to herself as she pulls half of the load out of her dryer. It clicks on and doesn’t make a sound as it rolls her clothes around and around.

She’s only a little disappointed that his tip worked. It’s not like she wanted him to come by or anything.

***

The best part of living in her complex is that it’s right next to a serene little lake that is lined with a jogger’s trail.

She’s never been one to wake up early to workout but since she moved in here, and since the trail is close and safe, she’s made a point to jog as many mornings as she can.

It’s been a little over a month since she moved in and every day on her own has started feeling more and more like a gift. She wakes up when she wants to, does whatever she wants until it’s time for work. The restaurant she’s worked at for the past year is still only a fifteen minute drive from her place, just like when she lived with Finn.

She starts looking forward to her morning jogs and they become more frequent as the weeks go by. Soon she’s jogging every day and she feels amazing, her body toned in places she wasn’t before and for the first time in a long time she feels happy about her life and where things are headed.

Her cell phone alarm goes off on a Wednesday morning at six-thirty and she’s already lying in bed with her eyes open when the loud beeping starts from her bedside table. It’s an hour earlier than the time she usually runs but she likes getting up early because it gives her more time to do things with her day. She hits the sleep button and gets out of bed to get ready for her jog, grabs a banana from the basket on her counter and eats it while she laces up her tennis shoes.

The last person she expects to run into when she’s walking towards the lake is Bellamy.

He’s wearing basketball shorts and a dark blue t shirt and Clarke is so stunned that she almost runs right into the back of him.

"I am so sorry!" She says quickly and his face goes from surprised to a grin when he sees that it’s her.

"Clarke, hey." He has ear buds in his ears and he pulls one out as he looks her up and down. "Going for a run?"

She’s suddenly incredibly aware that she’s wearing only tight yoga pants and a sports bra but she nods despite the blush that’s creeping up her neck. “Uhh…yeah. I come out here every morning.”

"No shit," he says and she doesn’t know why the sound of him swearing is so insanely sexy. "So do I."

This surprises her because she’s never seen him out here before. “Really? You drive all the way out here to run?”

Bellamy looks confused at her question. “Drive here? I live here.”

"Wait, you live in the complex?" Bellamy laughs as he nods. "I had no idea."

"Yeah, actually all of the employees get a free apartment. It’s a pretty good setup."

"Wow, yeah I’d say so." They start walking towards the lake and Clarke points to the iPod in Bellamy’s hand. "So what do you listen to while you run?" Bellamy grins as he shows her the screen. "Dubstep? Really?"

"Hey!" He cries with a laugh. "Don’t knock it ‘til you try it." He peeks down as Clarke pulls her own iPod out of her pocket. "Why? What do you listen to?"

Clarke tries to hide the screen but Bellamy is too fast and he pulls it from her hand despite her cries of resistance.

"Oh you can’t be serious," he says with a straight face as he scrolls through her playlist. "Britney Spears…is this a joke?"

"I’ll have you know," she says as she yanks her player back from him. "That those songs help me keep a very nice rhythm as I run."

"I’m sure they do," he says sarcastically and she laughs as she elbows him in the side.

"Don’t knock it ‘til you try it," she retorts and he considers this a moment before unplugging his iPod and handing it to her. "What are you doing?"

"Trying it," he says simply as he takes her iPod from her and plugs his headphones into it. "You jog with my music today and I’ll jog with yours. And then maybe after our jogs we can go out for coffee and discuss our findings."

Her cheeks heat up again as he grins down at her, his eyes sparkling as he waits for her reply.

"Yeah, okay. Dubstep for me, Britney for you. I run for an hour," she says and he nods in agreement.

"Me too. So I’ll be at your place in an hour and a half. Enjoy the Dubstep," he says with a wink as he starts to jog backwards.

"Yeah, and you enjoy Ms. Spears."

They run the same trail, not stopping to talk once, but she does watch as he bobs his head along with the music.

Her steps line up perfectly with the bass beats coming through the speakers in her headphones and she thinks that maybe it’s time for her to expand her horizons just a little.

Maybe she can start with getting to know Bellamy Blake.


	2. chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s official. I am officially the worst human being on the planet because I started this in 2014...2014 ya’ll and I’m just now finishing it. Why do I do this to you? Why do I do this to myself? The world may never know. But anyways, here’s part two of the fic I get the most update requests for. Hope it’s worth the 3 year wait ><

A coffee cup rests on the table in front of her and she’s acutely aware of Bellamy’s boot pressed up against the side of her cute gold gladiator sandal.

“So, did you like the Dubstep?”

Bellamy’s eyes are twinkling over his coffee cup and she rolls her own. “Yeah, it was fine.”

“Just fine?” he scoffs. “I was going to admit that I actually quite liked Britney but now…”

Clarke giggles, a stupidly girlish sound that she immediately wishes she could take back. She’s twenty one years old, not thirteen nervous to talk to her first crush.

“Britney’s awesome,” she says, picking at her orange cranberry muffin. “And the Dubstep wasn’t so bad.”

Bellamy doesn’t respond, just winks and takes another sip from his latte.

“Tell me about yourself,” he says and she blanches. She’s not used to a forward man like Bellamy, someone that asks her for coffee or about her life with no prompting. It’s refreshing albeit a little scary.

“Well,” she blows out a breath. “I’m twenty one, recently single. I work at McMillan’s on Fourth as a waitress and sometimes bartender. No siblings, parents are still married. I think that’s about it.”

“That’s about it?”

She shrugs. “Yeah, why?”

Bellamy laughs and nudges her foot with his boot. “Because I asked about you, not your stats. All I know about you is that you listen to Britney Spears while you jog and have a knack for shit breaking down in your house.”

Clarke blushes, tries not to think of the few times she’s seen Bellamy over the past few weeks. First her ice maker, then the call about her dryer. But after that she accidentally snapped off her shower head (which he made fun of her for profusely), dropped a knife down her garbage disposal and somehow managed to lock Raven and Jaspers’ cat in her bathroom when she was pet sitting.

Yeah, needless to say she's looked like a fucking idiot about 90% of the time she’s been around Bellamy Blake.

“You know,” he says with a smirk. “I was starting to think maybe you were breaking things just to get me to come over.”

She’s blushing, god damn it. She can feel the heat hitting her cheeks. “That’s insane,” she says. “What would make you think that?”

Bellamy shrugs. “Maybe the fact that I heard your friend tell you to do it.”

Clarke chokes on her Americano. “Oh my god. You heard that? That is so fucking embarrassing.”

She doesn’t miss the delighted little flare in his eyes at her swearing. “It’s not, actually. It’s cute. Not that it’s what you’re doing…”

“It’s not,” she promises and she’s being totally honest. “I’ve just never lived on my own before, it’s a little daunting.”

Bellamy nods, looks down at his cup when he asks his next question. “Does that have to do with the recently single stat?”

“It does,” she confirms sadly. “My ex Finn…he cheated on me. Found out after five years of dating. We were almost engaged.”

“Jesus.”

When she looks up at him he almost appears to be mad, his dark brows furrowed. “I know, what an idiot I am, right? Five years and living together and I couldn’t even see the signs.”

“That’s not what I was thinking at all,” he says quietly. “I’m just wondering what kind of fucking moron would cheat on _you_.”

Now she’s definitely blushing. “That’s sweet of you to say,” she says “But this is far too serious of a conversation for eight in the morning. Tell me something about you.”

Bellamy grins at her obvious change of topic and leans back in his chair. “Well,” he says, blowing out an exaggerated breath, to make fun of her no less. “I’m twenty six, single but for awhile. It’s not recent or anything.”

She snorts. “You don’t have to tease me.”

He holds his hands up in mock defense. “I’m not! I’m just giving you the rundown. Now where was I? Oh yeah, single. I work at the apartment complex, obviously, but I also volunteer at a library downtown a few nights a week. I have one sister, Octavia, she’s a little younger than you and a fucking brat, and a single mom that I adore.”

God, that’s sweet. “Is that all?” she teases and he shakes his head with a laugh.

“Not even close,” he cracks his knuckles dramatically across the table and she rolls her eyes. “I like to work out, but not in that gym rat way. I prefer jogging or MMA classes with my best friend Miller. Who’s gay and awesome, so I don’t know if having a gay best friend gets me any cool points but I thought I’d throw that out there. I like to knit, don’t laugh my Grandma taught me, and I have a serious obsession with WW2 documentaries on Netflix.”

Clarke is just staring at him, her face threatening to break apart with a smile. He’s unlike anyone she’s ever met, not just because of the things that he likes but because he’s so open and honest. Needless to say she’s not used to people being open and honest with her lately.

“So what you’re telling me is that you and your best friend, who happens to be gay, like to beat people up for fun and then you go home to knit a scarf while watching World War II in Color?”

Bellamy beams. “You’ve heard of that one?”

“My friend Jasper forced me to watch it one night,” she laments. “Hella depressing.”

Bellamy laughs so hard she thinks he might fall out of his chair. “Yeah, well it wasn’t a bundle of laughs, I’ll admit. But it was interesting as hell. I’m kind of a history buff.”

“Sure you don’t mean nerd, not buff?” Her eyes drag down his body then, land on his arms and she smirks. “I guess buff isn’t that far off.”

The comment surprises them both but she shrugs when he raises an eyebrow. Her heart speeds up when he pulls his bottom lip between his teeth and leans across the table.

“I like you, Clarke Griffin.”

She smiles and leans forward too.

“I like you too, Bellamy Blake.”

***

It becomes a routine, jogging together at seven every morning and then coffee afterwards.

One morning she mentions how stupid it is that they eat and drink the calories that they just worked but Bellamy just shrugs, winks at her and tells her he likes the atmosphere.

They talk about everything, from her coming out as bisexual to her friends and family in high school to him wanting to be an archeologist before he realized they made shit for money. Conversation is light and breezy, never overly sexual or flirting, and she likes that they are getting to know each other as friends before anything else.

One night in late June that changes.

She’s cleaning up her house after a little get together, one that Bellamy was invited to but because of reasons unknown didn’t show up at. He called at least, said he had some ‘shit to take care of’ and that he’d make it up to her.

 _Whatever_ , she thinks in annoyance as she scrubs at a dish. She’s had a beer or four and she’s just this side of drunk. _I’m not his girlfriend. He can do what he wants._

But sometimes she feels like they are more than just friends. Like when he brings over a bag of popcorn and a six pack of Stella and they watch reruns of The Walking Dead on Hulu cuddled up on her couch. Her feet are usually in his lap while he nurses a beer because he isn’t a big fan of drinking in excess, his thumb sometimes brushing against her ankle when he holds the bottle between two fingers and lets it dangle over her legs.

They have met each other’s friends and spend a lot of time hanging out, either at her place or his. She’s ridden in his truck, bare feet up on the dash as they drove through town with the windows down, old school country music playing softly in the background. He’s met her parents, she’s met his mom and sister. They have everything that a relationship does except the title and the physical stuff.

And _damn_ , she wants the physical stuff more than she wants to take her next breath.

It’s nearing ten when she hears the familiar rumbling of Bellamy’s truck passing her apartment. He lives three buildings down and she knows that what she’s about to do it childish and stupid but she doesn’t care. He wasn’t here tonight and she wanted him to be.

Forgive her if she has to force his hand a little.

She pulls open her silverware drawer a little harder than she needs too and she grabs a fork, twirling it around in her finger like a baton before dropping it into the sink.

“Oops,” she says a little deviously as she flips on the garbage disposal. The wretched sound of metal grinding hits her ears and she grins. “Whatever will I do?”

She pulls her phone out of her back pocket and thumbs in a text.

_**I need a handyman.** _

A beat. _**Of course you do. On my way.**_

It’s way past office hours. Bellamy doesn’t have to come but she knew that he would. She flips the garbage disposal back off, knows damn well she could just reach her hand in there to pull it out but where’s the fun in that?

A knock at her door and then its opening, Bellamy’s boots hitting the small linoleum landing as he lets himself in.

“Clarke?”

“Kitchen!”

He’s dressed up, well as dressed up as he gets, and her heart clenches when she thinks that maybe he was out on a date. He’s wearing dark jeans, a new pair of black boots and a navy button up over a black t shirt. His hair is combed and his reading glasses are still resting on his nose.

“What’s up?” He asks as he slides by her and she can smell the expensive cologne he only wears when he goes out.

“You look nice,” she says and he gives her a sideways look.

“Thanks. Now, what did you break this time?”

She sighs and points to the sink. “Garbage disposal again,” she says, as if she wasn’t the one who broke it.

Bellamy rolls up his sleeves and looks down into the drain. “There’s a fork in here,” he says, his voice laced with amusement. “Clarke…did you do this on purpose?”

She nods her head yes. “No.”

He grins and pushes away from the sink, moves so he’s boxing her in with both hands resting on the counter behind her. It’s the closest they have ever been face to face, except for the few rare hugs they are shared over the last few months.

“Why would you do that,” he murmurs, his lips so close to hers that she can taste his breath.

“You didn’t come tonight.” It comes out sadder than she meant it to and he frowns down at her.

“I’m sorry. I told you I had shit to do. I would have much rather had been here.”

She tugs at her bottom lip with her teeth, not wanting to ask the question on her mind but it leaves her lips anyway.

“Did you have a date?”

The look on his face is almost comical. “A date? What? No, I was with my mom and sister. You and I are…”

Her breath catches. “You and I are what, Bellamy?”

Fire races up her arm when he slides his hand from her wrist to her shoulder before settling on the side of her neck.

“We’re…getting to know each other. I figured that you wanted to take things slow, after everything that you went through with your ex.”

“Honestly,” she says, leaning up so she’s closer to his face. “I’m done with slow.”

That’s all it takes, one little go ahead and he’s crushing his lips to hers, sending shock waves through her as he lifts her up and sets her on the counter.

“You have no fucking idea how long I’ve wanted to do that,” he says when he pulls away, his lips never leaving her skin. He kisses across her cheeks, down over her collarbone and back up until he’s tugging her bottom lip between his teeth.

“You should have,” she says breathlessly.

“I was trying to be a gentleman.”

She wraps her legs around his waist and he picks her up effortlessly. “Well stop trying,” she tells him as he walks them backwards towards her bedroom.

Bellamy’s grin is wolfish when he tosses her down unceremoniously on her bed.

“At least for tonight,” he rasps out, reaching behind him to pull his shirt off.

***

Her doorbell rings at eleven the night before Christmas Eve and she rolls her eyes.

“Bell, just come inside!”

A shuffle, then a beat and then another knock. “I can’t open the door. My hands are full!”

Clarke narrows her eyes, wondering not only what he’s doing here in the middle of the night but what he could possibly have in his arms that makes him unable to open the door.

“Better be my Christmas presents,” she mumbles as she pulls open the front door and before she can react there is a black and white puppy squirming around in Bellamy’s arms trying to get to her. “What the fu…”

Bellamy covers the dog’s ears. “Not in front of the baby,” he says seriously before flashing her a grin and stepping inside.

“Bellamy, what’s going on? Who’s this?”

“This,” he says, holding the tiny Dalmatian out to her, “is your Christmas present. It’s a girl, pick out a cool name.”

“A puppy?” The squirming little thing is now desperately trying to get on the ground so she sets it, no _her_ down, and turns towards her smiling boyfriend. “You got me a puppy?”

“I got you a _Dalmatian_ puppy,” he says in a proud voice, like this is something she should have expected.

“Is that supposed to mean something?” She asks and he frowns a little, cocks his head at the exact same time the dog does and she can’t help but laugh. “I’m sorry, am I being an asshole? She’s really cute, Bell. Thank you.”

“Don’t you remember a few weeks ago? We were watching that movie, with that stupid guy you like…?”

“Ryan Gosling.”

He rolls his eyes. “Yeah, whatever. And him and his girlfriend had that Dalmatian and you were like ‘Oh Bellamy, one day that’ll be us. A happy little family.’”

Now it’s her turn to roll her eyes. “I have definitely never sounded like that but sure, I remember that now. Bellamy,” her eyes turn soft now and she reaches for him. “That’s so sweet. Thank you. But you know you’re going to have to help me take care of her right?”

Bellamy smiles shyly, reaches into his pocket and pulls out a little box. “That actually leads me to another part of my present.” He rests the little box in her hand and she gasps.

“Is this…?”

He laughs. “No, it’s not an engagement ring. Jesus, Clarke. I haven’t even known you a year. No, silly girl. Open it.”

She bites her lip as she takes off the tiny red ribbon, opens the white box to see a key nestled inside. “Is this your house key?”

Bellamy nods. “Move in with me. It makes more sense, you’re at my place all the time anyways and hey, free rent for both of us, right? Plus you’re always breaking shit and now I won’t have to walk a hundred feet to fix it...”

Clarke grins, tears prickling her eyes. “You don’t have to use free rent and handyman services to get me to move in with you. I’d love to.”

His eyes are twinkling when he looks at her. “Yeah?” She nods and he pulls her to him, wraps his long arms around her waist and kisses her head. “Good, because little Drusilla needs her mommy and daddy.”

Clarke snorts. “We’re not naming that dog Drusilla.”

“Spike?”

“Bellamy…”

“Fine, Buffy?”

Clarke laughs, pulls him down by the collar to brush a kiss across his lips. “We never should have binge watched all seven seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”

He kisses her nose. “Agree to disagree,” he says and then he chases after the puppy, who’s currently running in circles around the living room floor. “Come here, Willow. That’s a good girl.”

Clarke shakes her head and laughs and drops down on the floor with them.

“Willow isn’t so bad,” she tells him with a smile and at the name the dog runs to her and licks her right across the face.

Bellamy laughs, pulls her so she’s lying in front of him, and they kiss lazily while Willow tugs at the bottom of her sweatshirt.

All and all, it’s a pretty good life.


End file.
